Wednesday, September 28, 2016

I used to love the sitcom "Our Miss Brooks".
It starred Eve Arden. She was great.
By the time she did "The Mothers-In-Law", her timing was shot.
She over-emphasized every word she had.
But on "Our Miss Brooks", her timing was impeccable.
Richard Crenna played the role of his career---Walter Denton, the geeky-voiced high school student
and confidante of Miss Brooks.
He was hilarious.
As was Jane Morgan, the actress who played Mrs. Davis, Miss Brooks screwy landlady.
And this was where Gale Gordon broke in what later became Mr. Mooney on the Lucy Show as
Principal Osgood Conklin, with even more bombast than Mr. Mooney ever had.
I hadn't seen the show in over fifty years, but had nothing but fond memories of it.
Recently, MeTV decided to add "Our Miss Brooks to it's Monday through Friday lineup.
As soon as I found out about it I set the Tivo for it to see as many episodes as I could.
I was really jazzed by the thought that somebody would think to do this
All the good things I said about it still applied, but it was overwhelmed by its horribl.e writing.
Every episode involved the type of scheming and misunderstanding that was the hallmark of every episode of "Three's Company".
As a viewer, you can't be ahead of them in terms of storytelling.
On this show, you always are.
Way too predictable. Constantly.
My taste was a little less sophisticated fifty years ago.
But as well as well performed as it is, that's how unbearable it is to watch now.
So I've just removed it from my Tivo.
I've now watched enough of them to realize that it's not going to get any better.
Sometimes you can't go home again.

My books, "Show Runner" and it's sequel, "Show Runner Two", can be found at the Amazon Kindle Store.
Along with the newer ones, "The Man Is Dead", and "Report Cards".
They are all compilations of blog entries that have since been removed from the blog.
So this is the only way you can find them.
You can search by typing in my name, Cindy Williams, Laverne and Shirley, The Odd Couple, or Happy Days.
Check them out.
You don't need a Kindle machine to download them.
Just get the free app from Kindle, and they can be downloaded to an IPhone, IPad, or Blackberry.
The paperbacks, "Mark Rothman's Essays" and my new novel, "I'm Not Garbo" are not e-books.
But they are available for people without Kindle.
I have many readings and signings lined up for those, and the thing about Kindle is you can't sign one.
If you'd like one of the paperbacks, personally autographed, contact me at macchus999@comcast.net

Wednesday, September 21, 2016

This one is a little different.
It's not a new movie.
It was made in 2008.
I recently discovered it on Netflix.
And I'm so glad I did.
It is about the greatest musicians of their time.
Perhaps of all time.
Their heyday was from the 1950s through the 1970s.
They were Los Angeles based session musicians.
About fifteen of them.
They backed up everyone who was worth recording.
They never toured as a group.
But they certainly could have.
And they and all of their clients called them "The Wrecking Crew"
They were always in demand.
Always.
If Sinatra was recording and these guys (and a girl) weren't available, he'd wait until they were.
They invented the "sound" for the Beach Boys.
We're just scratching the surface.
Their influence on the entire recording industry has been overwhelming.
The only thing they weren't was individually famous.
The only one you might have ever heard of is Glen Campbell.
And this was all before he became famous as a singer.
They didn't seem to care about being famous.
They almost never traveled.
They cared about having normal lives.
And the money was pretty good too.

On to the scoring:

Is it interesting?

Constantly
A+.

Compelling even?

Constantly
A+.

Is it controversial?

They made unique life choices. I guess you could say that was controversial.
A.

Is it a story worth telling?

It's an amazing story.
A+

Is it good storytelling?

Expert storytelling.
A+.

Is it well written?

Very.
A+.

Is it well cast? Well played?

Considering it's a documentary, everybody is more than interesting.
A+.

Well shot?

Very.
A+

Did the director put such a personal stamp on it so that no one else could have made it?

It was made by one of their children. You could feel the love oozing through the screen.
A+.

How long does it take to establish the film's locale and time period?

Immediately.
A+.

Is it too long? Too short?

I could have gone another hour.
A+.

Is it believable? Do you care about the characters?

It's all true. And it's uplifting and occasionally heartbreaking.
A+.

Is it predictable? Does it surprise you?

I knew nothing about it going in, and was surprised by everything.
A+.

Do you think about it after you've seen it?

Enough so that I want to keep re-watching it.
A+.

Is it funny?

Have you ever known a group of musicians who weren't funny?
A+.

Would it have been worth the thirteen bucks it would have cost to see it in the movies?

Name your price.
A+

Is it impressive?

Utterly.
A+.

Overall grade: A+.

If you don't have Netflix, go out and get it. You might like "House of Cards" too.

My books, "Show Runner" and it's sequel, "Show Runner Two", can be found at the Amazon Kindle Store.
Along with the newer ones, "The Man Is Dead", and "Report Cards".
They are all compilations of blog entries that have since been removed from the blog.
So this is the only way you can find them.
You can search by typing in my name, Cindy Williams, Laverne and Shirley, The Odd Couple, or Happy Days.
Check them out.
You don't need a Kindle machine to download them.
Just get the free app from Kindle, and they can be downloaded to an IPhone, IPad, or Blackberry.
The paperbacks, "Mark Rothman's Essays" and my new novel, "I'm Not Garbo" are not e-books.
But they are available for people without Kindle.
I have many readings and signings lined up for those, and the thing about Kindle is you can't sign one.
If you'd like one of the paperbacks, personally autographed, contact me at macchus999@comcast.net

Wednesday, September 14, 2016

"Maggie's Plan is boring. It is a chick-flick.
It is a boring chick-flick.
Maggie is played by a complete uninteresting unknown, at least to me. (Greta Gerwig)
She wants a child, but she doesn't want to be in love.
Any idea where this might be going?

On to the scoring:

Is it interesting?

Never.
F.

Compelling even?

An absurd question.
F.

Is it controversial?

Only about the various options for conceiving children these days.
C.

Is it a story worth telling?

Not the way they tell it..
C.

Is it good storytelling?

If it was, it wouldn't be so boring.
F.

Is it well written?

It is undistinguished.
C.

Is it well cast? Well played?

The peripheral actors, (Bill Hader, Maya Rudolph) are given far to little to do.
Ethan Hawke is rather good. But there is a big hole where a star ought to be. Julianne Moore, who is not Julianna Margulies, does a rather unconvincing European accent with a decent sized part..
I just watched Hader on Seth Myers last night, and he plugged everything in sight, but not "Maggie's Plan". That should tell you something.
B-.

Well shot?

All right..
B+.

Did the director put such a personal stamp on it so that no one else could have made it?

Only in the sense that it had to have been directed and written by women.
C-.

How long does it take to establish the film's locale and time period?

Immediately.
A.

Is it too long? Too short?

Way too long.
C.

Is it believable? Do you care about the characters?

I suppose, and not at all..
B.

Is it predictable? Does it surprise you?

The ending takes a surprising and unsatisfying turn.
F.

Do you think about it after you've seen it?

No.
C.

Is it funny?

No sense of humor is on display.
F.

Would it have been worth the thirteen bucks it would have cost to see it in the movies?

Not any bucks.
F.

Is it impressive?

Never.
F

Overall grade: D.

Not the worst thing I've ever seen. That's the best thing I can say about it.
I wish I had something better to report on, the first time out.

My books, "Show Runner" and it's sequel, "Show Runner Two", can be found at the Amazon Kindle Store.
Along with the newer ones, "The Man Is Dead", and "Report Cards".
They are all compilations of blog entries that have since been removed from the blog.
So this is the only way you can find them.
You can search by typing in my name, Cindy Williams, Laverne and Shirley, The Odd Couple, or Happy Days.
Check them out.
You don't need a Kindle machine to download them.
Just get the free app from Kindle, and they can be downloaded to an IPhone, IPad, or Blackberry.
The paperbacks, "Mark Rothman's Essays" and my new novel, "I'm Not Garbo" are not e-books.
But they are available for people without Kindle.
I have many readings and signings lined up for those, and the thing about Kindle is you can't sign one.
If you'd like one of the paperbacks, personally autographed, contact me at macchus999@comcast.net

Thursday, September 8, 2016

In yesterday's mail, I received my first DVD from the West Coast.
My first screener from a Hollywood studio seeking my support for the movie in question.
They want my vote justifying that the film is award worthy.
The second week in September is when this usually starts.
From now on, the the deluge will begin.
Usually about half of them will actually BE award-worthy.
For you veterans of this website, this means the beginning of "Report Card" season.
And unless there is a major event that I wish to comment on, this blog will be taken up with
Report Cards .
For the uninitiated, all I want to know in a movie review is whether or not I would want to see it, backed up by good reasons, revealing no more than I have to about the plot..
I do it by asking the same questions for each movie and answering them.
If you see these movies and generally agree with me, then I should be your go-to reviewer.
If you don't, you should probably ignore this blog until awards season is over .
So you can't say you haven't been warned.

-----------------------------------------------------------
My books, "Show Runner" and it's sequel, "Show Runner Two", can be found at the Amazon Kindle Store.
Along with the newer ones, "The Man Is Dead", and "Report Cards".
They are all compilations of blog entries that have since been removed from the blog.
So this is the only way you can find them.
You can search by typing in my name, Cindy Williams, Laverne and Shirley, The Odd Couple, or Happy Days.
Check them out.
You don't need a Kindle machine to download them.
Just get the free app from Kindle, and they can be downloaded to an IPhone, IPad, or Blackberry.
The paperbacks, "Mark Rothman's Essays" and my new novel, "I'm Not Garbo" are not e-books.
But they are available for people without Kindle.
I have many readings and signings lined up for those, and the thing about Kindle is you can't sign one.
If you'd like one of the paperbacks, personally autographed, contact me at macchus999@comcast.net
And now, we've got my reading of my "Laverne and Shirley Movie" screenplay on YouTube.

Friday, September 2, 2016

Okay, so how pointless is it for anybody to criticize "I Love Lucy".
It has been easily the most successful sitcom of all time.
And justifiably so.
It's certainly the only sitcom that has transcended the black-and white era.
Kids of all eras including this one know about it and watch it.
Even though it is in black-and-white.
There is no other sitcom that this can be said about.
Perhaps what I'm going to bring up will seem niggling.
But it bugs me every time they do it.

1- When Ricky is on his way home from rehearsals at the club, he'll stop off at the candy store right downstairs to let Lucy know that he's practically home.
This is done to put pressure on Lucy, who is always up to something at these moments.
And this adds to the pressure.
I mean, he's practically home.
Why would he do this?
Purely to accelerate the plot.
Sorry, this not nearly a good enough reason.
I always found this to be unacceptable.

2- Whenever Lucy wanted a new dress or a new hat, or a new whatever, Ricky's continuing mantra was always "We can' afford it!"
This translates to "We can't afford it!"
According to Ricky, they could never afford anything.
They lived in a rent-controlled apartment in Mid Town Manhattan.
And Ricky worked as a big-time bandleader at the "Tropicana Clupp".
Later known as the "Clupp Babaloo".
It was always very successful.
He must have been paid pretty well.
So how come they could never afford anything?
He must have been making a pretty good living.
So where did the money go?
I have a theory:
The money went for hookers.
And maybe Lucy suspected it and simply didn't want to confront him about it.
Much like their actual marriage.
Although in life they never had trouble affording anything.

Other than these two things, I found the show adorable.

-----------------------------------------------------------
My books, "Show Runner" and it's sequel, "Show Runner Two", can be found at the Amazon Kindle Store.
Along with the newer ones, "The Man Is Dead", and "Report Cards".
They are all compilations of blog entries that have since been removed from the blog.
So this is the only way you can find them.
You can search by typing in my name, Cindy Williams, Laverne and Shirley, The Odd Couple, or Happy Days.
Check them out.
You don't need a Kindle machine to download them.
Just get the free app from Kindle, and they can be downloaded to an IPhone, IPad, or Blackberry.
The paperbacks, "Mark Rothman's Essays" and my new novel, "I'm Not Garbo" are not e-books.
But they are available for people without Kindle.
I have many readings and signings lined up for those, and the thing about Kindle is you can't sign one.
If you'd like one of the paperbacks, personally autographed, contact me at macchus999@comcast.net
And now, we've got my reading of my "Laverne and Shirley Movie" screenplay on YouTube.

About Me

Hi. I am, according to my Wikipedia entry,(which I did not create) a noted television writer, playwright, screenwriter, and occasional actor.
You can Google me or go to the IMDB to get my credits, and you can come here to get my opinions on things, which I'll try to express eloquently. Hopefully I'll succeed. You can also e-mail me at macchus999@aol.com. Perhaps my biggest claim to fame is being responsible, for about six months in 1975, while Head Writer for the "Happy Days" TV series, for Americans saying to each other "Sit on it."